Meeting Next Week Could Be Pivotal To Future Of Virginia Football

One of the most important gatherings in Virginia football history will take place a week from tonight at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville. Charles McDaniel, one of the greatest linebackers in Cavalier history, is sponsoring a very exclusive event of heavy hitters, the types of UVa boosters that can help change the course of Wahoo football. The event’s focus is to start the financial support for Virginia’s new football support building and an overall athletic complex that will shape the future.

Hootie Scattershoots Around The ACC In Audio This Week…

Hootie scattershoots around the ACC in audio this week as he and Prime Sports Network host Greg DePalma review last weekend’s games and preview this week’s action. Greg & Jerry talk to Miami and Virginia Tech insiders about the FSU v Miami and Notre Dame at Virginia Tech games. Also, all the other ACC games and Virginia’s bye week as well as other league tidbits!

Nelson: From Walk-on To Starter To ACC Defensive Rookie Of The Year

Brenton Nelson’s journey to his Virginia football home reads like a Hollywood script. The story is something one might expect coming out of the 1960s, the kind of tale that just doesn’t occur these days. Walk-on shows up, earns a scholarship, becomes a starter and is awarded ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Virginia Men’s Soccer Faces No. 22 Wright State Tonight At 7

After two weeks on the road, the tenth-ranked Virginia men’s soccer team returns to Klöckner Stadium for three straight, and four of its next five matches. The Cavaliers (5-0-2, 2-0-1 ACC) welcome in No. 22 Wright State tonight at 7 p.m. in a matchup of two of college soccer’s eight remaining unbeaten teams. The Raiders, who are 3-0 in the Horizon League, come in with a mark of 8-0-1 overall and have the nation’s second-highest scoring average at 3 goals a game. Luckily for UVa coach George Gelnovatch, he’s got arguably the best defense in the country. His Cavaliers have […]

Bronco Knows Exactly How He Will Use Bye Week To Improve Team

(Photo Courtesy Matt Riley/UVa Media Relations) Bronco Mendenhall said during bye week, staff will analyze and try to get rid of dead plays and dead calls No sooner had Virginia dropped a 35-21 decision at N.C. State last Saturday than Bronco Mendenhall was already looking ahead. The Cavaliers enter their bye week with a 3-2 overall record, 1-1 in the ACC, just about where I thought they would be after five games. They have two weeks to prepare for Miami coming to Scott Stadium in a game where UVa will definitely be an underdog. As organized as Mendenhall is, he […]

5 Things Learned From Saturday’s Game: OL Not Ready For Primetime

Five things learned from Saturday’s 35-21 loss by Virginia to N.C. State: 1. Virginia’s Offensive Line is Not Ready for Primetime. The sore point for the entire two and a half seasons of Bronco Mendenhall’s time at UVa has been an offensive line that falls short of expectations. This year’s edition seems to have made strides, and has performed admirably against the Richmond’s, Ohio’s, and Louisville’s of the college football world. However, they’re not ready for Primetime. When Virginia stepped up a level in competition on Saturday in Raleigh, the Cavaliers’ Big Uglies struggled against an N.C. State defense that […]

N.C. State Overpowers Virginia 35-21 In First True Road Test

(Photo Courtesy Matt Riley/UVa Media Relations) Olamide Zaccheaus catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Perkins to give UVa an early lead Virginia came up short in its first true test on the road, falling 35-21 at N.C. State Saturday. The Wolfpack scored 24 unanswered points and set a season high in the rushing category, all while getting another stellar performance from star quarterback Ryan Finley. The Cavaliers (3-2, 1-1 ACC) surrendered 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half and never could get back within striking distance the rest of the afternoon. Finley was 22 for […]

Hootie: No Mystique About How Cavaliers Lost Game And Fell To 3-2

(Photo Courtesy Matt Riley/UVa Media Relations) Bryce Perkins threw for 258 yards, but inability to mount much of a running game was a problem for UVa Saturday RALEIGH, NC – After Virginia couldn’t stop Indiana’s ground game in the second week of the season, Bronco Mendenhall went back to the drawing board. He thought he had the problem fixed. Turns out, that was only a band-aid. The Cavaliers, minus several starters missing on defense, had no answer for N.C. State’s running game at sold out Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, and paid the price, dropping a 35-21 decision to the Wolfpack. […]

UVA Men’s Golf Coach Couldn’t Be Any Happier With Fantastic Start

Virginia’s new golf facility should give the Cavaliers a competitive edge To note that Virginia men’s golf season is off to a good start would be an understatement. The Cavaliers finished tied for second in last week’s Inverness Intercollegiate tournament in Ohio, with senior Thomas Walsh claiming the individual championship with a tournament record, 8-under 205 (54 holes). That event followed UVa’s season-opening, seventh-place finish at the Capital Carpet Collegiate in Georgia, beating a couple of top 10 teams. If that wasn’t enough to get veteran Wahoos coach Bowen Sargent excited, the soon-to-be opening of Virginia’s new golf facility (for […]

Tale Of The Tape: Virginia Will Be Facing ACC’s No. 1 Passing Offense

Well, it’s another Friday, game day is tomorrow, so it’s time to look at the tale of the tape between Virginia and N.C. State. Weather should be close to perfect again (partly cloudy and 79 degrees at game time) and the key stat seems to be the Wolfpack’s explosive passing attack. Defensively, Virginia has better team statistics, but the Wahoos have not faced a quarterback like Ryan Finley, as the Wollfpack passing game is ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. To see the complete chart of “Tale Of The Tape” click on “Continue Reading” below: Saturday, September 29, […]

You Ask, He Answers In Another Edition Of “Hootie’s Mailbag”

The popular Mailbag is back with some of our readers’ questions, answered by yours truly. If you have a question, send it to the following email address: In honor of how my old friend Bill Millsaps used to answer his readers’ when he was sports editor in Richmond, we always start ours off just like he did: The reader writes … Question from Anthony E in Las Vegas: Hey Jerry, when do you think the rest of the country will begin to notice Bryce Perkins? Hootie: Tony, I think that’s starting to pick up. I was listening to Rick Neuheisel […]

Hootie’s Power Poll Has Virginia Ranked Higher Than Virginia Tech

We’re into Week Five of Hootie’s ACC Power Poll, ranking the 14 league teams in order of performance in our humble opinion. If you want a lowdown on all the ACC action, reviewing last week, previewing this weekend, and the scoop on Clemson’s quarterback change, and UVa’s and Tech’s journeys to Tobacco Road, check out our audio section and look for the Ourlads ACC show with yours truly and host Greg DePalma, and some special guests who breakdown all the ACC. Now, for this week’s Power Poll. Some of the mighty have fallen: Rank, School, Overall record/ACC, Previous rank, Comment […]

Another Day, Another Great Meal at Great Harvest Bread Company…

From left, Danny Wilmer, store owner Aileen Magnotto, Jerry Ratcliffe, and Tom Payne at downtown Charlottesville location Over the past week, a couple of pals and myself have discovered “Bread Heaven.” That’s what Great Harvest Bread Company is known as among its customers, not only in Charlottesville, but in its 200 independently franchised stores around the country. We are fortunate to have two of their stores here in Charlottesville, one in the very back of Virginia’s Law School building (not far from JPJ, the “Dish,” and many of the tailgating lots in those areas on football Saturdays. The other is […]

This Week, Chris Long, Jonathan Coleman Join The Pigskin Panel…

Dave and Scott are starting to pull away from Jerry as the college football season enters its fifth week. Dave led everyone last week with an 11-4 record to take a one-game lead over Scott, who went 10-5. Hilldrup CEO and guest picker Charles McDaniel also went 10-5, while his son and fellow guest picker Charlie McDaniel tied Hootie with a 9-6 record. Hootie is now 7 games off the lead, but vows a comeback is in the offing. This week’s guests include Chris Long, former UVA football star and member of the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles; and Jonathan […]